Hello!

How are you doing? I hope everything is going well.

Today I’d like to talk about a saying from Spain: De casta le viene al galgo. There are variants of this expression depending on the country. Here are some of them:

• Hijo de tigre, pintito. (The cub of a tiger has spots.)
• De tal padre, tal hijo. (Like father, like son).
• De tal palo, tal astilla. (From such a stick, such a splinter)

This saying expresses the idea that we inherit our parents’ or ancestors’ traits and habits. It can be used in a positive, negative or even ironic way, depending on the context.

Another way to say the same in English is the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Let’s see some examples:

A: ¡Qué buena es María para las matemáticas!

B: De casta le viene al galgo, su padre es ingeniero.

See translation

A: María is so good at math!

B: Like father, like daughter. Her father is an engineer.

A: El padre de Sara era un aficionado a los juegos de azar y su hijo empezó a jugar cartas.

B: De casta le viene al galgo…

See translation

A: Sara’s father was fond of gambling, and her son started playing cards.

B: What’s bred in the bone, will come out in the flesh.

Now, here’s a clip of an interview with the late Juan Muñoz Martín, a Spanish writer and teacher:

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxTCtPI3OYjR0rJBmAFZL4_b5SEASXrftx?si=6MUOw1oeQrV9JDwy

Siempre me ha gustado escribir. Como de casta le viene al galgo. Como mi madre era maestra y mi tía era maestra también. Todo el entorno era literario prácticamente.

See translation

I have always liked writing. It runs in the family. My mother was a teacher, and my aunt was a teacher too. Practically everyone around me was connected to literature.

Now, it’s your turn! Have you ever heard this phrase before?

Could you think of a situation where you could use it? Let me know in the comments.

See you next time!

Crédito de la foto de portada | Photo credit: S J en Unsplash